As did Æneas old Anchifes bear,

So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders;

But then Æneas bare a living load,
Nothing fo heavy as thefe woes of mine.

[Exit.

Enter Richard Plantagenet and Somerset, to fight.
R. Plan. So, lie thou there;--

For, underneath an ale-houfe' paltry fign,
The Caftle in Saint Albans, Somerset

Alarum.

Retreat. Enter York, Richard Plantagenet, Warwick, and Soldiers, with Drum and Colours.

York. Of Salisbury, who can report of him;
That winter lion, who, in rage, forgets

[Somerfet is killed. Aged contufions and all brush 2 of time;
And, like a gallant in the brow of youth 3,
Repairs him with occafion? this happy day
Is not itfelf, nor have we won one foot,
If Salisbury be loft.

Hath made the wizard famous in his death -
Sword, hold thy temper; heart, be wrathful ftill:
Priests pray for enemies, but princes kill. [Exit.
Fight. Excurfions. Enter King Henry, and Queen
Margaret, and others.

2. Mar. Away, my lord, you are flow;
shame, away!

for

K. Henry. Can we out-run the heavens? good
Margaret, stay.

2. Mar. What are you made of? you'll nor
fight, nor fly:

Now is it manhood, wifdom, and defence,
To give the enemy way; and to fecure us
By what we can, which can no more but fly.

[Alarum afar off
If you be ta'en, we then should fee the bottom
Of all our fortunes: but if we haply "fcape,
(As well we may, if not through your neglect)
We shall to London get; where you are lov'd;
And where this breach, now in our fortunes made,
May readily be stopp'd.

Enter young Clifford.

R. Plan. My noble father,

Three times beftrid him; thrice I led him off,

Three times to-day I holp him to his horfe,

Perfuaded him from any further act:
But ftill, where danger was, ftill there I met him;
And like rich hangings in a homely house,
So was his will in his old feeble body.
But, noble as he is, look where he comes.
Enter Salisbury.

Sal. Now, by my fword, well haft thou fought
to-day;

By the mafs, fo did we all.-I thank you,Richard:
God knows, how long it is I have to live;
And it hath pleas'd him, that three times to-day
You have defended me from imminent death.-
Well, lords, we have not got that which we have ;
'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,
Being oppofites of fuch repairing nature.

York. I know our fafety is to follow them;
For, as I hear, the king is fled to London,
To call a prefent court of parliament.

Chf. But that my heart's on future mifchief fet, Let us purfue him, ere the writs go forth :

I would fpeak blafphemy ere bid you fly;
But fly you muft; uncurable difcomfit
Reigns in the hearts of all our prefent parts.
Away, for your relief! and we will live

To see their day, and them our fortune give:
Away, my lord, away!

What fays lord Warwick, fhall we after them?

War. After them! nay, before them, if we can.
Now by my hand, lords, 'twas a glorious day:
Saint Alban's battle, won by famous York,
Shall be eterniz'd in all age to come.-

|Sound, drums and trumpets;—and to London all:
[Exeunt. And more fuch days as these to us befall! [Exeunt,

2 i. e. ail

The death of Somerfet here accomplishes that equivocal prediction given by Jourdain, the witch, concerning this duke; which we met with at the clofe of the First Act of this Play. wear or ravage. 3 The brow of youth means the height or fummit of youth. 4 i. e. three times I faw him fallen, and, ftriding over him, defended him till he recovered.

Soldiers and other Attendants on King Henry and King Edward, &c.

In part of the Third Alt, the Scene įs laid in France; during all the rest of the Play, in England

London. The Parliament Houfe.

Alarum. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and others, with white rafes in their bats.

War. I

Wonder, how the king efcap'd our
hands.

York. While we purfu'd the horsemen of the north,
He flily ftole away, and left his men ;
Whereat the great lord of Northumberland,
Whofe warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battle's front, and, breaking in,
Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.

That this is true, father, behold his blood.

[Shering his bloody fword. Mount. And, brother, here's the earl of Wiltfhire's blood,

[To Warwick, fhewing bis
Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.
Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what
I did.

[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's head. York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my fons.Is your grace dead, my lord of Somerset ?

Norf. Such hope have all the line of John of
Gaunt !

Rich. Thus do I hope to shake king Henry's head.
War. And fo do 1.-Victorious prince of York,
Before I fee thee feated in that throne

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buck-Which now the house of Lancaster ufurps,

ingham,

Is either flain, or wounded dangerously:

1 cleft his beaver with a downright blow;

I vow by heaven, these eyes fhall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king,

And this the regal feat: poffefs it, York;

The action of this play opens juft after the first battle at Saint Albans, wherein the York faction carried the day; and clofes with the murder of king Henry VI. and the birth of prince Edward, afterwards king Edward V. So that this history takes in the space of full fixteen years.

For

War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him beft, And, by his foul, thou and thy house shall rue it.
The proudest he that holds up Lancafter,

Weft. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy fons,
Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells 1. Thy kinfmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives,
I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares :-Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
Refolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.

Clif. Urge it no more; left that, instead of words,

[Warwick leads York to the throne, who frats bimfelf. I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a meisenger, Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Weft- - As shall revenge his death, before I ftir. moreland, Exet, and others, at the further end

The allufion is to falconry. The hawks had fometimes little bells hung upon them, perhaps to fright the birds from riling.

Let me, for this my life-time, reign as king.
York. Confirm the crown to me, and to mine heirs,
And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'ft,

X. Henry. I am content: Richard Plantagenet,
Enjoy the kingdom after my deceafe.

Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your fon?
War. What good is this to England, and himfelf?
Weji. Bafe, fearful, and despairing Henry!
Clif. How haft thou injur'd both thyfelf and us!
Weft. I cannot stay to hear thefe articles.
North. Nor 1.
[news.
Cif. Come, coufin, let's go tell the queen thefe

i. e. to the prerogative of the crown.

The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd me.
Queen. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt
be forc'd?

I fhame to hear thee fpeak. Ah, timorous wretch!
Thou haft undone thyfelf, thy fon, and me;
And given unto the houfe of York fuch head,
As thou shalt reign but by their fufferance.
To entail him and his heirs unto the crown,
What is it, but to make thy fepulchre,
And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is chancellor, and the lord of Calais;
Stern Faulconbridge commands the narrow feas;
The duke is made protector of the realm:
And yet fhalt thou be safe? such safety finds
The trembling lamb, environed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a filly woman,
The foldiers fhould have tofs'd me on their pikes,
Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr'ft thy life before thine honour:
And, feeing thou doft, I here divorce myself,
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed,
Until that act of parliament be repeal'd,
Whereby my fon is difinherited.

The northern lords, that have forfworn thy colours,
Will follow mine, if once they fee them fpread:
And spread they fhall be; to thy foul difgrace,
And utter ruin of the house of York.
Thus do I leave thee :-Come, fon, let's away;
Our army's ready; come, we'll after them.
K. Henry. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me
fpeak.
[thce gone.
Queen. Thou haft fpoke too much already; get
K. Henry. Gentle fon Edward, thou wilt ftay

with me?

Queen. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. Prince. When I return with victory from the field, I'll fee your grace: 'till then, I'll follow her. Queen. Come, fon, away, we may not linger [Exeunt Queen and Prince. K. Henry. Poor queen! how love to me, and to her fon,

thus.

Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Reveng'd may fhe be on that hateful duke;
Whofe haughty fpirit, winged with defire,
Will coaft my crown, and, like an empty eagle,
Tire 2 on the flesh of me, and of my fon!
The lofs of thofe three lords 3 torments my heart:1
I'll write unto them, and entreat them fair;—
Come, coufin, you fhall be the meffenger.
Exe. And I, I hope, fhall reconcile them all.

SCENE

11.

[Exeunt.

Sandal Castle, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire.
Enter Edward, Richard, and Montague.
Rich. Brother, though I be youngest, give me
leave.

Edw. No, I can better play the orator.
Mont. But I have reafons ftrong and forcible.
Enter the Duke of York.

What is your quarrel? how began it first?
Edw. No quarrel, but a fweet contention 4.
York About what?
[and us.

Rich. About that which concerns your grace
The crown of England, father, which is yours.
York. Mine, boy? not till king Henry be dead.
Rich. Your right depends not on his life or death.
Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now:
By giving the houfe of Lancaster leave to breathe,
It will out-run you, father, in the end.

York. I took an oath that he should quietly reign.
Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be
broken:

I'd break a thousand oaths to reign one year.
Rich. No; God forbid, your grace fhould be
forfworn!

York. I fhall be, if I claim by open war.
Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me
speak.

York. Thou can'ft not, fon; it is impoffible.
Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not took
Before a true and lawful magiftrate,
That hath authority over him that swears:
Henry had none, but did ufurp the place;
Then, feeing 'twas he that made you to depofe,
Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous.
Therefore, to arms: And, father, do but think,
How fweet a thing it is to wear a crown;
Within whofe circuit is Elyfium,
And all that poets feign of blifs and joy.
Why do we linger thus ? I cannot reft,
Until the white rofe, that I wear, be dy'd
Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart.

York. Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.--
Brother, thou fhalt to London prefently,
And whet on Warwick to this enterprize.-
Thou, Richard, fhalt to the duke of Norfolk,
And tell him privily of our intent.-
You, Edward, shall unto my lord Cobham,
With whom the Kentish men will willingly rife <
In them I truft; for they are foldiers,
Witty 5, and courteous, liberal, full of fpirit.-
While you are thus employ'd, what refteth more,
But that I feek occafion how to rife;
And yet the king not privy to my drift,
Nor any of the house of Lancaster ?
Enter a Meffenger.

But, ftay; What news? Why com'ft thou in fuck
poft?
[lords,
Gab. The queen, with all the northern earls and
Intend here to befiege you in your castle:
She is hard by with twenty thousand men;
And therefore fortify your hold, my lord.
York. Ay, with my fword. What! think st
thou, that we fear them -
Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me ;—
My brother Montague shall post to London :
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,
Whom we have left protectors of the king,
With powerful policy ftrengthen themselves,

York. Why, how now, fons, and brother, at a And truft not fimple Henry, nor his oaths.
ftrife?

Mont. Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it not :

1 i. e. hover over or range about my crown. 2 To tire may either mean to faften, to fix the talons, from the French tirer; or to peck. 3 viz. Northumberland, Weftmoreland, and Clifford. + Meaning, that the argument of their difpute was upon a grateful topic, viz. the question of their father's immediate right to the crown. 5 Wty would here feem to mean, of found judgement.

And